


Not Like That

by Clorixi



Category: Usotoki Rhetoric
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I just wanted some sort of delivery on the romance subtag on this manga okay, Slice of Life, Supernatural Elements, character can hear lies, characters without canonical ages so its my canon now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clorixi/pseuds/Clorixi
Summary: There are a lot of meanings for the word ‘like’. Kanoko likes the cat, and she likes when it rains, and she ‘likes’ the old woman’s dumplings. So just because the detective says he ‘likes’ her, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he meant it like that, right?Or, Kanoko slowly learns how to be accepted and loved, and everyone is soft.
Relationships: Urabe Kanoko/Iwai Souma
Comments: 12
Kudos: 27





	Not Like That

**Author's Note:**

> how are you even here, this is a dead fandom
> 
> In case you are here just because you were curious and don't know the source material at all, Usotoki Rhetoric is a manga about a girl who can hear lies and ends up teaming up with a detective because that's a really useful ability to have when solving mysteries. A lot of the manga talks about human connection, which is something Kanoko struggles with a lot because of her ability.   
> The male lead doesn't have a canonical age that I could find, so it's my canon now and I say Kanoko is 22 and Iwai is 23.
> 
> Bolded text is a lie that Kanoko heard.

“Kanoko-kun,” Iwai whined, hanging upside-down off the arm of the couch. “Share some of your watermelon with meeee.”

She shook her head. No way was she risking her share of the watermelon for him. Hanasaki could take it away if she assisted a criminal. 

“That’s aiding and abetting, Detective.” she told him. She took another bite of her watermelon slice, savoring the cool, crisp feel of it. Kanoko tried not to let her enjoyment show too much, but from the sour expression that crossed Iwai’s face she didn’t do a very good job. 

He threw his arms into the air in protest. “I’m being betrayed by my own assistant.”

“Criminals must face their punishments with dignity, Souma.” Hanasaki said without a hint of irony. “Don’t try to harass innocent parties to get around it.”

Iwai glared at him, but the effect was largely lost due to him dangling upside down. There was also the fact that his watermelon privileges being revoked was entirely his own fault. Really, he had to learn where to draw the line when teasing Hanasaki’s constantly troubled love life. 

“ ** _You’re a terrible friend. I don’t like you at all, Kaoru_** _,”_ Iwai said. His words were interspersed with the clanging of metal, the tell-tale sound that told Kanoko if someone was lying.

“And I suppose you don’t like Kanoko-san either, then?” Hanasaki retorted in a teasing tone. “She’s not letting you have watermelon either.” 

“No,” Iwai replied, “Kanoko-kun is the only person here I like.”

She dropped her watermelon slice. The missing metal from his voice seemed to reverberate in her mind, and her face turned red. Even as her heart raced Kanoko furiously shut down her thoughts. Of course, he didn’t mean it like _that._ Of course he liked her, they lived together after all. He just meant as an assistant, or maybe a friend.

They were staring at her. Well, Hanasaki was staring, a small frown on his face. Iwai had looked at her briefly, then flipped over to stare longingly at the wasted watermelon on the floor. He looked a bit like he might cry. 

“Are you okay?” Hanasaki asked her, already moving to clean up the mess. Kanoko nodded rapidly, snatching the dropped watermelon and using a rag that had been peeking out from under the couch to mop up the juice from the floor. 

“ **Fine** _!”_ she stuttered out, tongue tripping over the coppery taste of the word. “I’m sorry, I dropped the watermelon… I’m going to go cut more!” 

Iwai watched as she all but ran from the room with a disappointed frown.

“Erm.” Hanasaki looked between them, confused. “Was it something I said?”

“No.” Iwai flipped back over and stretched out on the couch. Something popped in a satisfying way. “She’s just working through some things.” He sighed. “You’d think that two years would convince her that I’m not just tolerating her presence here, and yet…”

He swiped his arm out, almost managing to snag the watermelon from Hanasaki. Unfortunately, the other man noticed and avoided his reach with a shout.

Iwai scowled. “Guess I need to start trying harder,” he mused.

“Trying to what, steal my watermelon?! You unrepentant freeloader!” Hanasaki growled.

~ ~ ~

Kanoko did not grow up in a rich household. They certainly weren’t hard off: Kanoko never went hungry, and her clothes were always seasonally appropriate. Still, they didn’t often splurge on expensive items, and her mother was very careful about maintaining their budget.

She’s rather grateful for that fact now. She loved her job with the investigation firm, but it was a fact that the well-paying jobs were far and few in-between. Even when they did get paid well, Iwai’s debtors would show up to collect what he owed them. Of course, they were out of luck if he and Kanoko had already spent that money on food, which they often did, and so the debts continued on in an endless loop. 

Which was all to say, again, Kanoko loved living with the detective, and she loved their lifestyle, debts and money-problems and all. She knew how to be thrifty (outside of food), and was used to wearing clothes that showed their wear and tear. 

With that said, when Chiyo called the firm one day and offered to give Kanoko some of her old, unused kimono, well… She accepted the offer embarrassingly quick. Chiyo was from a rich family after all, and was fashion-forward when it came to the latest trends.

You just don’t pass up free, good-quality kimono. 

She was starting to regret agreeing so quickly, though. “Thank you again.” Kanoko said before her breath was stolen by another squeeze around her stomach. Chiyo didn’t pause in her attempts to tie a pale blue sash around her waist, evidently unaware of how she was managing to muss up the entire outfit in the process. 

“Really, it’s nothing.” she replied. “Usually we just donate it somewhere, but then I remembered the last three times I’ve seen you, you were wearing the same old kimono, and I thought why not just give it directly to someone?”

Kanoko winched at her bluntness. Chiyo frowned. “Hey, no moving! This is tricky enough, you know.” She finally got it tied to her satisfaction and took a step back, eyeing Kanoko’s hair. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, thinking out loud, “Well, maybe off to the side…?”

Chiyo looked into her pile of fabric that was strewn about her wide bed and scowled. “Oh, where did it go?” She whipped a few skirts off, throwing articles of clothing around and digging in the mess until she unearthed a small book. She picked it up and set it aside almost reverently. “Oh, I haven’t managed to finish this one quite yet, but it’s really good, Kanoko! You should totally read it, I have the whole series, you can just borrow them from me.” 

When dealing with Chiyo, you had to wait for the moments where she was forced to stop for breath to get a word in around her. Even then, you needed to keep it short.

“What is it?”

“This great mystery novel! The detective in it is so cool and handsome, and he’s super smart! Plus, this one introduces a new heroine, and actually,” Chiyo had a somewhat intense look in her eye, “she kind of reminds me of you!”

“O-Oh?” Kanoko said. “How so?”

“Well, she becomes the detective’s assistant for the case, and at first they don’t really like each other, but other the course of solving the mystery they grow closer, and then…” She trailed off, eye growing distant as she got lost in whatever she was imagining. 

“...And then?” Kanoko prompted.

“But anyway! The heroine is kinda mousy and reserved, but she’s really helpful and pretty, so she reminds me of you!”

_M...Mousy?_

Oh!” Chiyo snatched a second, smaller ribbon in the same shade of the sash from under where the book had been. “Here it was!”

Chiyo dashed back and reached up to arrange it in her hair. Kanoko grew carefully still when she got a little too close to her ear, but Chiyo apparently didn’t notice anything odd. Chiyo gathered up a few strands of dark brown hair on the side of her head and pulled them together into a loose side-tail. The ribbon was quickly pulled around it and tied into a bow. 

“There!” she said. “I knew that would be the perfect accessory!” She reached up and tugged at her own ponytail, grinning. “And we match!” 

The younger girl whirled around and grabbed her make-up kit from off the edge of her bed. Kanoko waited until Chiyo had buried herself in it before checking to be sure her ears were still hidden under her hair. They were, as far as she could tell, and Kanoko let herself relax again.

She took the opportunity to examine the kimono that she was wearing in the mirror. Overall it was a dark, almost black shade of blue. Lighter blues and greys weaved together to create a pattern of small flowers across the bottom hem and sleeves.

It really was a pretty kimono. Maybe she’d save it for special occasions. 

Chiyo chose that moment to shriek, jarring Kanoko right out of her thoughts. 

“What?” Kanoko asked, worried. She didn’t see anything unusual in the room. 

“Standing lost in thought like that, you totally look like noble lady from a novel!” Chiyo cried. She had a lipstick clasped between her hands. “I knew that kimono would be perfect on you!”

Kanoko blushed, caught off guard by the praise. “Well, it helps that it’s one of your kimono. I don’t think you would have anything that wasn’t pretty.” 

Chiyo waved her hand dismissively. “Of course, but a pretty outfit only takes you so far. The clothing doesn’t matter if it doesn’t suit the person wearing it.” She scowled at the kimono. “That thing looked totally drab on me.” 

There was a knock on the door, and a maid stepped into the room. She bowed her head politely, saying, “Ms. Chiyo? Detective Iwai is here for Ms. Kanoko.” 

“Send him in,” Chiyo said. She stepped forward into Kanoko’s personal space and grabbed her chin firmly in her hand. “Try not to move too much, or I’ll smudge it” she warned as she applied the lipstick. 

Kanoko tried to hold still, but Chiyo was very close to her face and it made her feel flustered. It also didn’t help that Iwai was apparently coming. Suddenly, the different hair and kimono and make-up was all she could think about. It had been fun to let Chiyo give her a make-over, but now she wondered if she looked strange.

How had he known she was at Chiyo’s manor anyway? She had left in such a rush that she forgot to leave a note saying where she went.

Kanoko managed to squeeze the question out around Chiyo’s fingers, and the other girl paused in her administration. 

“Ah, well…” she said, clearly thinking on her feet. “ **He’s just randomly dropping in, probably. It happens** _.”_

The door opened before Kanoko could call her out on the lie.

"I'm coming in," Iwai warned, waiting a second for any potential protests before stepping through the doorway.

“Detective! So good to see you!” Chiyo said, whirling around to face him. She waved the lipstick around dangerously as she spoke. “Have you solved any new mysteries?”

“This and that.” He waved his hand around in a vague circle. Chiyo squealed in excitement.

“Oh, you’ll have to tell me about your daring battles with villains sometime! I’m sure they’re just thrilling.”

Kanoko stifled a laugh. Oh, their recent jobs had been thrilling, all right: Locating lost cats, cleaning the abandoned shrine, they had even been contracted to hunt down a misplaced package in someone’s overcrowded storage unit. Truly, their work was the stuff of novels. 

“ **Yup, we’re super elite and we get high-paying jobs all the time. We’re actually very rich, you know.** _”_ Iwai struck a cool detective pose. Kanoko worked harder to smother her laughter. Chiyo didn’t seem to notice at all.

“Wow… How amazing!” she said. She clapped her hands together and let out a little noise of surprise as she suddenly remembered she was holding a lipstick. “Oh, right!”

Chiyo turned back to Kanoko with a speed that made her head spin. She fussed a bit with the collar of the kimono, straightening it out and brushing away invisible pieces of lint. She chattered away as she moved on to her hair:

“It wasn’t my color at all, but isn’t this kimono so cute on Kanoko? She’s so pretty in it!” Chiyo enthused, straightening bits of fly-away hair from her forehead. She stepped away and raised her hands, showing her off like Kanoko was an artwork she made. 

Kanoko flushed even harder. 

“Hm?” Iwai gave her a slow once over. Kanoko tried not to fidget under the scrutiny.

“Well, it goes without saying, doesn’t it?” he finally said. “Kanoko-kun is always pretty.” 

She didn’t even have a chance to short-circuit, because Iwai immediately continued, “But it’s odd. I got a call that your dad wanted to clarify some details of the case we solved for him, but when I got here I was told he was out... Guess it’s lucky that it’s not a totally wasted trip, since Kanoko-kun is here anyway.”

Chiyo laughed forcefully. “Wow, how weird. **I wouldn’t know anything about that!** _”_

"Hm." Iwai said. "Well, if you two are done, it’s time to head back home, Kanoko-kun."

Kanoko nodded, then jumped as Chiyo suddenly wailed in disappointment. 

"You're just going home? After I put together a whole outfit for Kanoko-chan?" 

_Chan?_ Kanoko thought, and hid a pleased smile behind her sleeve. She’d never had a girl around her age call her chan before. Sure, Chiyo was a little younger at eighteen, and Kanoko was technically too old to be called ‘chan’, but… No one back home had been close enough to call her that, other than her mother. 

"Nope, no, I won't allow it!" Chiyo opened a dark green purse that was slung over a chair, grabbed some bills from inside, then marched over to thrust them against Iwai's chest. 

"You two are going out tonight, my treat!"

"That's a generous offer. Are you sure?" Even as he said the words, he tucked the money into his pocket. The look in his eyes were miles away, glazed over with thoughts of a fine meal. 

Chiyo sniffed and drew herself up, every inch the image of a rich man's daughter. "My work deserves to be seen. And anyway, it pleases me to treat two people who have helped my family out so much." She marched over and grabbed Kanoko’s arm, gently but firmly guiding her out of the room. 

“Honestly,” she muttered under her breath. “You’d think a detective of his caliber would be better at this, right Kanoko-chan?” 

“Um.” she replied. 

Chiyo nodded as if she had agreed with her. Kanoko heard Iwai say goodbye to the maid, amusement coloring his voice. Chiyo swept down the staircase, Kanoko carried in her wake. She stopped just short of the massive double front-door, waving for the butler nearby to come open it.

“Make sure you stop by again sometime soon!” Chiyo said. She released Kanoko’s arm from her surprisingly tight grip. “It was fun playing dress-up with you.” She tapper her finger under her chin. “Actually, I think I may have a talent for this…” 

Iwai took advantage of her distraction to slip around her. He signaled for Kanoko to follow, and she hastened to listen. If they weren’t quick, Chiyo would keep them there all evening. They made it halfway out of the yard before she noticed. 

“Have a _fun_ evening you two!” Chiyo yelled after them. She waved enthusiastically, seemingly unaware of how her sleeves were buffeting the butler holding the door open for her.

They waved back at her. Iwai leaned into her personal space to mutter “Jeez, you think she could hide snacks in there when she goes to those plays?” 

“Probably.” Kanoko replied. “She wouldn’t need to, though.”

“What a waste of hiding space. The rich don’t even have to worry about buying snacks at the theater. But then,” he patted his side, over where he had tucked Chiyo’s gift into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “Tonight, we share in privilege!” He spun on his heel gleefully, then gestured for Kanoko to go first. “Let’s go, I can hear delicious food calling out to us!” 

They left the property, walking in silence towards the main road where most of the restaurants would be. It wasn’t unusual for them to just quietly enjoy each other’s company, but Kanoko felt sort of… restless. The lipstick felt a touch gummy between her lips, and the unfamiliar texture of the kimono, while soft and pleasant, kept her extremely aware of the fact that she was wearing something new. 

_Both Chiyo and Iwai said it looks nice._ She reminded herself firmly. The thought helped her feel less self-conscious for a few minutes, but then Kanoko couldn’t stop focusing on how Iwai had said she was pretty. 

“Something on your mind?” Iwai suddenly cut into her thoughts. He peered down at her curiously. There was a touch of amusement to the way his lips curved into a smile. Kanoko shook her head vigorously, arms flailing to emphasize her denial. 

“Well, that is, you see…” she stammered. A distraction! She needed something else to talk about. She racked her brain, catching on something else that had been bothering her.

“Um, Iwai-san?” Kanoko began. He hummed to indicate he was listening. “Chiyo-c...chan,” she stuttered over the honorific, “she lied about not knowing anything about you coming, and about not knowing her father was out…” Kanoko frowned. “I don’t see why she lied about that, so I thought it was probably nothing…”

He crossed his arms over his head as they walked. “Hm. Don’t worry too much about Chiyo-san. The most recent installation of her favorite mystery novel apparently had a really interesting couple in it.” he finally said. “I think it inspired her to try meddling.”

Kanoko didn’t quite follow how that was connected. Still, Iwai was much better at understanding people than she was, so she’d believe him if he said it was fine. She didn’t think Chiyo was lying maliciously, anyway. 

They'd wandered into the nicer restaurant district while they talked. Kanoko and Iwai compared their choices with a fervor that only truly passionate foodies could have. They debating the quality of the places they passed by on sheer smell and overheard comments. 

One particular place toted itself as creating 'fusion cuisine’ that blended western and eastern cooking techniques. They decided to pick that place passed on the novelty of the options and also because Kanoko overheard at least three people exclaim how good their meals were as they left.

The inside had dimmed lighting that created a private atmosphere despite the place being fairly packed. A hostess smiled warmly at them as they entered. There was a standing board beside her desk that listed out the specials of that day. Iwai immediately engrossed himself in reading it, waving his hand for Kanoko to talk to the lady.

“Hi!” the hostess said. “A table for you and your…” She trailed off as she looked at Iwai, who had dropped to his haunches and was rubbing at his chin, muttering incoherently at the board.

“Your…” the hostess tried again. She looked at Kanoko for help.

Kanoko was suddenly, violently struck by the realization that she had no idea how to help. Iwai was her… boss, kind of, but they had never acted in the traditional roles of boss and employee. She was his assistant, sure, but Iwai had never made her feel like she was beholden to do anything he asked her too.

Plus, it just seemed awkward to announce that the man staring at the specials board like it held the secret to life was her boss.

She’d already been thinking about it for too long, because now the hostess was looking at her oddly. Kanoko cleared her throat and said the first thing that came to mind,

“Erm, me and my friend.”

It wasn’t a lie, but the moment she said it, she felt like it was missing something.

The hostess nodded, clearly relieved that she could move on with her usual script. “Right, if you’d step this way, we have a booth open.” She led them to a booth that was tucked up against a corner. Once they were seated, Kanoko was surprised at how… intimate it felt. The other patrons were blocked from her sight, and it was easy to imagine she and Iwai were alone there. 

A waitress passed by and dropped off some water and menus for them. She left to give them a moment to pick what they wanted. The moment she left, Kanoko was overcome by a rush of nerves. They’d gone out to eat alone plenty of times before, but somehow this felt _different._ Maybe the strange emphasis that Chiyo had placed on it that made her think that way. Either way, Kanoko found herself unaccountably nervous sitting across from Iwai. 

She went to grab her water, hoping to wash away some of her nerves, but fumbled the grab. Kanoko barely recovered in time to prevent coating their table with water. “S-sorry.” she muttered. She snatched the menu and hide behind it, face hot. 

“Okay, Kanoko-kun, I seriously can’t decide.” 

She looked at him a little too quickly, slamming the menu down and sitting straight up. “Sorry, what?”

He tapped the menu with his index finger with great fervor. The look in Iwai’s eye was nearly manic. “This menu. Seriously, it’s all too good. Part of me says ‘get the eel’ since we missed out on it last time, but that special board had duck on it, and that sounds amazing. I’m paralyzed by choice.” 

Kanoko paused, then looked down at her own menu and actually read it. “Do we really want to risk not having eel again?” It was a regret that they continued to share months after the event. The Eel Incident (aka the meal that got away) would haunt them forever.

“Right? That’s exactly my thought, but then again we risk missing out on amazing duck.” He replied. 

“We could order eel as a side.” Kanoko pointed out the appetizer section, which did list some glazed eel.

Iwai looked at her, eyes shining. “Kanoko, you’re brilliant. And we can order some pot stickers, then I’ll order the duck, and you get something else to round the whole thing.”

She nodded, pouring over the menu. If they had eel and duck, that was sea and sky, so she should probably order something with beef. 

It wasn’t until after they placed their orders and were salivating over the eel strips that Kanoko realized that Iwai had manipulated their shared passion for good food to perfectly distract her from her nerves. 

Though it still fluttered around the edges of her awareness, the awkward feeling didn’t take over her again. They ate their food with gusto, sharing plates indiscriminately and comparing dishes to both each other and to other places they had eaten similar dishes at with a deadly serious air. The conversation flowed as easily as it ever did. 

Why had she been nervous at all? 

They ordered a desert to share, and the waitress somehow talked them into ordering some sake to go with it. Neither Iwai nor she were drinkers much, but they agreed that this night was special enough that they could indulge a little. It didn’t hurt that the waitress didn’t lie about how well the two items would pair together.

Despite the amount of food they had eaten, by the time Iwai paid the eye-wateringly high bill, the two of them were at least a little drunk. Kanoko felt pleasantly warm, and Iwai’s usually steady gait was a little wobbly. They managed to make it home without incident. Kanoko fumbled at the doorknob with her key a bit before remembering they never lock it anyway.

The two of them spilled into the greeting room with an air of relief. Kanoko felt that particular brand of sleepy that only arose in moments of contentment. It seemed Iwai felt the same way, judging by the yawn that split his face.

“Well, Kanoko-kun, here’s where I drop you off.” He gestured gallantly up the staircase towards her room, making Kanoko laugh.

“How kind of you to walk me home, Iwai-san.” She got out around her giggles.

He grinned, then tilted his head to the side with a questioning look. “It’s weird that you still speak so formally to me. I’ve used your first name since I met you.”

She blinked, unsure how this topic had come up. “Ah, well… I guess it just never felt right.” Kanoko said. When Kanoko had first come to this town, she’d been deep in the depths of her negativity and unsure of herself. She didn’t question when Iwai referred to her informally. She also never considered not being formal towards him.

“It’s been a few years. I think you of all people have earned the right to use my name.”

The red tint that crossed his face must have been an effect of the alcohol. Kanoko, on the other hand, was definitely flat out blushing.

“O…Oh,” she stuttered. “I mean, if you’re comfortable… That is, not that I don’t want to, it’s just… a lot, to jump straight to that.”

He shrugged in a way that was meant to be nonchalant, but the stiff set in his shoulders made him miss it by a mile. “That’s fine, you can build to it if you need to.”

“Uh, right.” She definitely wasn’t running away. She was just super ready to get to bed. She got to the top of the steps and turned around. Iwai hadn’t moved from his spot.

“Um.” She said.

Iwai raised an eyebrow.

“Goodnight, Souma!” She all but yelled, then fled into the safety of her bedroom. 

At the bottom of the stairs, Iwai hid his blush behind his arm. It didn’t matter; the only one there to see it was the cat.

“Yeah, goodnight, Kanoko.”

~ ~ ~

Souma looked between the box of dumplings in her hands and the expression on Kanoko’s face and said “Oh no, why was the old woman making the dumplings today?” 

“Apparently, the old man went to a party with some friends and wasn’t up to making them.” Kanoko gingerly placed the box of dumplings on the table like she was setting down a volatile mixture.

They stared at the box in silence. 

“Maybe they won’t be as bad this time?” Kanoko said. The words hung stale in the air, as if even she didn’t really believe that could be possible.

He took the lid of the box with slow movements, like there was a vicious beast in there instead of food of questionable quality. The dumplings sat in two innocent rows. The air in the room took on a heavy feeling. 

“Let’s get it over with.” Souma scooped up two dumplings and considered them. They looked exactly the same and offered no hints as to what might be lurking within. He held them up to his nose, but all he could smell was the dough. Kanoko watched in horrified fascination. 

If he couldn’t make any deductions, the only thing Souma had left was blind luck. He chose the left dumpling and popped the whole thing into his mouth. A second later, a horrid miasma of bitter and salty flavor flooded his senses. It took all of Souma’s effort to not spit the cursed dumpling out.

“Bad.” he choked out around it. Souma slapped the right dumpling into Kanoko’s hand. She looked between him and it in alarm. “You’re up.” he said. “Gods protect you.” 

Kanoko stared at the dumpling as if it could attack her. Then her face screwed up a little, and a glint of resolve entered her eye. She took a bite without flinching. Souma was in awe of her bravery. Kanoko chewed very carefully. “It’s sweet.” she said in surprise. “Like… melon?”

The feeling of awe turned sour. “How lucky for you.” Souma deadpanned. “Really, it’s great that you got a good dumpling.”

She frowned at him, still chewing. Then she looked at the dumpling. Then back at him. 

“Um… Here, Iwai.” Kanoko passed the dumpling to him. 

"Oh." He shook his head. "I wasn't trying to guilt you into giving it to me." Souma popped the dumpling into his mouth anyway, because he wasn’t above taking food where he got it. The lingering bitterness was overtaken by the gentle sweetness of melon. There was something else in there too, he mused as he chewed. Yam, maybe? 

Kanoko gave him a dry look, deadpanning “That was a lie.” Inari appeared out of who knows where and meowed up at Kanoko. She leaned down and scratched at his cheek with a finger, to his vocal delight. “Anyway, I’m happy to share that one.” 

“That one?” Iwai mused. Oh, because it was melon flavored. He never did get any watermelon from Kaoru, the jerk. Leave it to Kanoko to decide she needed to belatedly set that right. Iwai opened his mouth to express his appreciation, but realized she wasn’t paying attention to him. 

Instead, Kanoko was looking at the remaining dumplings with the same air of a tragic hero staring down a firing squad. “There’s still eight more left…” she whispered, like they’d hear her if she was too loud.

The melon dumpling turned to ash in his mouth as fear rang through his body.

~ ~ ~

  
Cleaning the shrine had become a bi-annual event for the investigation firm. It wasn’t clear why exactly their landlord felt a sense of responsibility for the place: it wasn’t visited by any people, and surely any kami that might have resided at that shrine was long gone by now. It was a mystery, but one that Iwai never bothered to solve. As long as the landlord was willing to take the labor in favor of that month’s rent, they would clean the shrine. The simple work of cleaning it up and patching up any damaged areas was relaxing, anyway. 

At least, Kanoko thought so. Even though he was the one to agree to that deal so many years ago, Iwai hated to actually do the work. He complained the entire walk there, constantly threatening to just leave (“It’s not like the landlord ever checks if we did it!”), but for all his blustering he did the work diligently once they got to the shrine. 

The on-set of winter meant that the amount of weeding they needed to do was less than usual, but the sheer lack of human presence at the shrine ensured that it was still tons. They decided to split the shrine into two halves and each work on the further end, moving inwards towards each other.

Kanoko had lost herself in the rhythm of grab-pull-shake-bag, barely noticing how much time passed as she pulled weeds. She was finally coming up on the last few rows, so she paused in her efforts to shake the cramps out of her hands.

She brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her ears felt like ice against her hand and she puffed out a breath in annoyance. Winter weather didn’t bother her much as she enjoyed the cold temperature. However, the cold made the scars behind her ears ache quite a bit. She wished, again, that she had remembered to bring a scarf to wrap around her head to ward off the cold. 

She'd just have to endure until they were done. After the weeds, they would check the little wood and stone shrine for any particularly bad holes or weakened structures and make sure the offering dish was cleared of debris. Kanoko wanted to clean off the guardian statues too, but it would be tricky convincing Iwai to put in the extra effort.

As if thinking his name summoned him, Iwai suddenly emerged from the bushes and unto the path. “I’m done on the west side.” He announced. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the cold. In fact, his only concession to the winter weather was a somewhat thicker coat. Kanoko knew he had a scarf and gloves somewhere in that mess he calls a bedroom, but it seemed he only broke them out when it was actively snowing.

She was a little distracted by her thoughts, which is the only reason she didn’t register his next words faster.

"You've got dirt behind your ears, Kanoko." He leaned down and reached his hand out towards her.

Her eyes widened. "It's fine, I'll take care of it--" She was too slow to move away.

His hand brushed her ear. She shuddered as the warmth of his fingers covered it, alleviating some of the cold. An electric shock rocketed through her, starting at that point of contact and racing from her fingertips to her toes. 

Then Iwai's finger made contact with her scar, and Kanoko went cold. She resisted the urge to jerk away from his touch, growing statue-still in her efforts. 

He must have noticed, because soon after he drew away, a small frown on his face. 

One of the qualities that Kanoko admired in Iwai was his shockingly accurate ability to read people. Right now, though, all she could think was how good he was at understanding other people, and how much he knew about her struggles with her ability, and what he might have guessed already about her.

People had scars, but her reaction immediately signaled that hers were something painful. Shameful. She screwed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable question. There was the soft sound of fabric moving, and some footsteps. Her breath was coming in a little too fast now. 

“Kanoko.” His voice sounded like it was right in front of her. She flinched but didn’t answer. Every second that passed felt like a condemnation. “Hey, look at me.” 

She couldn’t tell from his inflection if he was disappointed, but he had to be. Kanoko didn’t want to face him. In her village, no one ever had to ask about her scars: they all seemed to know only a few scant hours after she had taken up the garden shears. _How horrible_ some of them had said in whispers. _Only a child. Her poor mother must be so troubled._

_If only she had gone through with it._

When she left that place, she wore her hair down. It was a symbolic gesture as much as it was a physical one: it served to hide her ears, both from prying eyes and from hearing lies.

But she was trying to confront those things, now. Agreeing to work with Iwai as an assistant had been her first effort towards that.

Her heart felt like it had taken up new residency in her throat. Her thoughts were a chaotic mess of guilt and fear. Only one managed to stick out: even if she wasn’t ready, she couldn’t hide from this encounter any longer. Whatever was going to happen, she needed to say _something_ to Iwai.

Kanoko steeled herself and opened her eyes.

Iwai was _directly_ in her face. She bit back a yelp of surprise, then had to smother another one as she registered that Iwai had twin streaks of dirt over his forehead and chin. The dirt created the impression of some rather unflattering facial hair. 

“Do I have anything on my face?” He asked. 

“Um.” Kanoko said. He looked at her expectantly. “Well. Yes.” she added, thrown. 

He pulled a cloth out of his pocket and swiped at his cheeks, missing the dirt entirely. He then tilted his head at her as if to ask ‘am I clean now?’.

“You, uh, missed.” 

He sighed in a put out manner and wiped at his face again, this time hitting the dirt but merely smearing it around ineffectively. “Now?” 

Kanoko frowned and took the cloth from him.

“Here, just let me...” She reached up and gently wiped at his face. She started with his chin, using small circular motions to clear away the dirt. When she moved up to his forehead, the cloth covering his entire face and blocking them from making eye contact, Iwai’s hand came up and covered hers. 

Kanoko jumped. “Oh, sorry, did I, um, use too much force?” She stuttered. 

“No, you’re fine,” He replied. “But, Kanoko, you can relax. I’m not gonna ask.” 

She froze. Standing like this suddenly felt too close, too intimate. The heat of his hand engulfed hers, almost overwhelming in its intensity. The only thing making this moment bearable was the cloth covering his face, but even with that Kanoko felt sure that his gaze was on her, looking straight through it. It made her shiver.

“You don’t need to share anything you aren’t comfortable with, okay?” 

Oh. Somehow, it hadn’t even occurred to her that her privacy might be respected. That she wasn’t ready to talk about it, and Iwai would understand that without taking it personally. Tears formed and spilled over, chilling rapidly in the cold air. She quickly swiped her arm over her face, cleaning them away before they frosted on her. 

It was something she wanted to tell him, someday, when it hurt a little less. Iwai had accepted her strange ability from the first day they met: if anyone would understand that day of weakness, it would be him. Today, she felt too raw, like her seams were coming unraveled.

Iwai waited patiently while she pulled herself back together. The sight of him kneeling in a pile of dirt and weeds, a towel sitting on his face, seeming for all the world like he would wait forever for Kanoko to tell him it was okay to move, was ridiculous. Kanoko found herself stifling giggles even as she sniffed the last of her tears away.

She might have been a little in shock.

At least, that was going to be her excuse for why she reached out and wrapped her arms around Iwai. He felt warm and steady in her grasp, grounding her against the negative thoughts that had reared back to attention with her fear. He jumped a little, surprised at her movement, but his arms came up fast to wrap around her in turn. They stayed like that, a barricade of warmth and closeness that felt right.

It felt like an eternity passed, but it was probably only a minute when Iwai cleared his throat. “Not that this isn’t great,” (and that was _true_ , _it was true_ , that shouldn’t make her heart race) “but we do sort of have our rent riding on us finishing today.”

“Right.” She started to lean away, but his arms tightened a little, pulling her in for a split-second before letting her go. He finally took the rag off of his face, and Kanoko was surprised and delighted to find that his cheeks were almost redder than hers.

He noticed where she was looking at rubbed at his cheek. “ **Cold.”** he muttered, not even bothering to pretend like he believed it himself. She smiled and got back on her feet, grabbing the forgotten bucket of weeds as she did.

She felt light-headed, but in a good way. Giddy, that was the word for it. “Hey, we should clean the guardian statues today.” She said casually.

“What? No way!” Iwai got up in a flurry of movements. “It’s bad enough we’ve already been here for hours, and we still have to patch the holes in the stupid wooden floor, and of course that leak has come back _again_ , you’d think-“

He was well and truly off. Kanoko wondered if he even noticed that he had taken out a hammer and nails and was already fixing the floor as he ranted. 

~ ~ ~

It was subtle at first, but the incident at the shrine had marked a significant change in their relationship. More and more often, Kanoko found herself reaching out without realizing it: nudging Iwai’s side to draw his attention to a food stand, reaching from behind his shoulder to pass him something, brushing cobwebs and leaves from his hair after another crazed chase after a runaway pet. 

Now that physical contact had been introduced to their dynamic, Kanoko realized just how embarrassingly touch-starved she had been. Every casual brush of the arm brought a pleasant tingle to her belly.

It didn’t help that Iwai also seemed to embrace their new… whatever it was with enthusiasm. Where a word or gesture would have done before, he would go out of his way to pull her arm gently into his and lead her to whatever he wanted to draw her attention to. They even created a new signal for her to inform him of when a lie was told based on a pattern she tapped at that arm.

Best of all was when they shared meals. They went out of their way to sit next to each other, sides pressed snugly together even when there was plenty of space for them to spread out. Sharing plates was never easier. Kanoko would easily rank their mealtime as some of her happiest moments in recent years. 

This new dynamic created a problem, however: though Kanoko was not socially adept, she was not stupid. Even she, with her lack of human interaction and social knowledge, knew darn well that their recent behavior was not that of casual friends. The only thing she couldn’t figure out is what it meant.

Well, no, that wasn’t right. She knew what that type of behavior usually indicated between two people who got along. She just couldn’t believe for a second that _that_ was what was going on with herself and Iwai.

There was no one she could ask except for the person in question. If she was wrong, though, that would just be terribly embarrassing. 

She spent an entire week distracted by her own fretting. It didn’t matter in the end: the very person she was concerned with breached the topic first.

“Hey, Kanoko.” Iwai was balancing a pen on his nose. She was quite impressed: he was going to break his former record if he made it another two minutes. “I wanted to test your lie detection again. I thought of something recently, you see.”

She nodded. This was a fairly normal occurrence in the investigation firm. One of them would come up with a question about the limits of her ability (Could she hear a lie from a recording, or would she hear every line in a play as a lie, for example), and they’d run a test of it. 

“Okay, basic start as always: I’m wearing a green shirt.”

“True.” She said. This was procedure for their tests, as if her ability might have suddenly disappeared right before they started.

“ **I ate pork for dinner last night**.” He had a wistful look in his eye. Unbidden, Kanoko’s stomach made a whining noise.

“Lie.” She said. “Though I wish it wasn’t…”

“We’ll get lunch soon.” He said. “Okay, next one: I like you.”

“True” she said unthinkingly.

He waited patiently, pen still balanced on his nose. He broke his previous record at the same time his words hit her.

She stammered wordlessly, unsure of what to say. Iwai kept talking before she could figure it out. 

“For a while now, I’ve liked someone named Kanoko Urabe. I enjoy the time I spent with her. I want to spend more time with her.”

“Um.” she said. She was misunderstanding, she had to be. “Yes, well, we live together after-all. Why wouldn’t we like each other’s company?” she finally said.

He sighed. His head tipped forward, and the pen fell to the table. “I’m in love with you.”

She tried. She actually tried to find a different meaning in his words, examined them every way she could think of, searching for alternate explanations or possibly misinterpretations. Even she had to admit that there was no other way to take those words.

“Why?” she finally asked.

He shrugged. “Because we share the same interest in food, and we generally get along well. Because I think you’re pretty, but even better you’re smart and kind. Kinder than me. You make me a better person, you know. Every time I think a job or situation sounds too troublesome, you make sure we get involved anyway, because you care.”

He tilted his head to look at her. “But, is that really the question you wanted to ask?” His look was piercing.

“…How.” Her hands clenched into fists. Her nails dug into the flesh, tiny pinpricks of centering pain. “How could you… who would want to be in a relationship with someone like me? How could you stand having to watch everything you say around me?”

“Didn’t we cover this when we first became partners?” Iwai said. He placed his hand over his heart. “ **I’ve nothing to worry about, because I’m an honest man**.”

She scowled at him. “That was a lie then, and it’s a lie now.”

“And it matters to me as much now as it did then.” He pointed a finger at her. “I’m not going to stand here and say it’s never been a problem.”

She flinched.

“But we’ve worked and lived together for almost two years now, and never once have I regretted you being in my life.”

“Kanoko, I like you.” He said. “If you want to deny or ignore it, that’s fine. It’s your choice. But,” 

And suddenly he was right there, so close she could feel the heat coming off of him.

“I’m going to be here, every day, reminding you that you are lovable until you’re forced to believe it yourself.”

If her face got any hotter, she was going to spontaneously combust. They stayed in that moment for what felt like ages, Kanoko frozen from the conviction of Iwai’s confession, and Iwai…

Iwai was starting to shuffle his feet. His face was growing steadily redder. “Uh, could you respond? That was sort of a lot I just laid out there.”

It occurred to her that he was nervous, and for some reason that was the thought that got Kanoko moving again. She was used to seeing Iwai in his cool, confident detective persona, but realizing he was just as uncertain as she was made her feel a little braver.

Someone with the ability to hear lies also has the ability to know the truth. She had no reason to doubt anything Iwai was saying. He had already contended with the realities of a relationship with someone who could call out his every lie, and decided it was still worth it. _She_ was still worth it.

The only thing Kanoko could do was face that honesty with her own.

Since words had never done her any good, she decided to answer him with her actions. This time he saw her coming, and opened his arms to meet her. It struck Kanoko just how comfortable and content she felt embracing Iwai.

There was another feeling vying for her attention. She’d managed to forget about it during the emotional height of their conversation, but now that she was calming down Kanoko could not ignore it any longer.

“I’m still hungry.” She declared into his shoulder.

He laughed, and the sound carried through her whole body, making her feel light. “Come on, then. We can have our second official date.”

“Second? When did we have the first?”

He laughed harder, shaking his head. “I’ll tell you about it when we get there.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own fault.


End file.
